Seeing Red
by xLou26
Summary: When your job entails living out of a suitcase for the majority of the week, things can get tough. Throw in a strong willed and heavy hearted Karlie Matthews, things are about to stir up Stu's already far from normal life. Wade Barrett/OC
1. Smash Into You

_**Smash Into You**_

Another day off wasted, sat around waiting for those around him to hurry up and do their jobs. Pushing up the sleeve of his leather jacket, he glanced at his watch one more time. Sitting in the DMV for forty minutes hadn't been on his agenda. For the life of him he couldn't figure out how he had lost his divers licence, and of course only living in America on a work visa made everything that much more complicated.

Stu glanced to his left; a man in his 60's sat flicking through a news paper, breathing heavily through his nose. Sighing heavily he hoped the man would take the hint and shut up, but to no avail. The place was empty, yet nothing was happening. His eyes shielded behind sunglasses travelled around the room, stopping outside on his prized black Range Rover. It was big, comfortable and most importantly he fit into it. His legs were stretched out in front of him, arms not folded against his chest. No one had recognised him, something that was rare now. Everyone knew the city was full of wrestlers, most of whom now were relaxing at home on their day off. He cursed them under his breath.

Feeling his phone vibrate in his jean pocket, he quickly pulled it out, opening the new message in the inbox. _'4pm at MacDinton's. You're buying the drinks.' _Stu laughed to himself upon seeing Drew's message. The native Scotsman had taken to getting out as much as possible, especially after his messy divorce earlier in the year. And if Stephen was with them, it was bound to be just like old times.

"Stuart Bennett." The sharp voice slicing through the silence of the DMV made Stu lift his head up from his phone. A small chubby middle aged woman was staring back at him, her dainty glasses perched on the edge of her nose, a collection of papers clutched in one hand. Standing up, he made his way to the counter.

"That's me." Stu smirked, trying to charm the old lady but she rolled her eyes.

"Here is your new licence at the cost of fifty dollars."

"A dollar per minute I had to wait, right?" Stu couldn't help himself, but he quickly grabbed his walled and handed over a card. The woman took it from him with a disapproving look but not saying a word. She dropped the papers to the counter and proceeded to take Stu's money from him.

An almighty crash outside made Stu jump and spin around. His eyes landed on his car and the flashy red Ferrari that had just slammed into it. Cursing under his breath, he shot out of the building faced with the damage and carnage before him. Running a hand through his hair he figured his day couldn't get any worse, though his car hadn't come off worse.

"Oh my god, this is just my luck." Hearing the sound of a female, he watched a leggy brunette climb out of the car, sunglasses being pushed up to the top of her head. Her handbag was swinging from the crook of her arm, the heels on her feet giving some explanation as to why she had driven into his car.

"Excuse me." Stu spoke up, trying to get the woman's attention, but she seemed oblivious to everything around her.

"Is that your car?" Stopping in her tracks she pointed to his Range Rover that her car was now attached to.

"The one you drove into? Yes that's mine." Stu knew he was being condescending, but the girl needed someone to shake her and wake her up.

"I'm so sorry." She lifted her handbag up, slinging it onto the roof of the car. Rooting through it she pulled out a pen and stormed over to him. A few people were milling around, watching the scene unfold. Stu was a little bewildered by the woman's actions, growing curious as she moved around the car to walk up to him. Taking him by surprise, she reached for his right hand, wrapping her small hand around the tips of his fingers to steady him. He could only watch on as she started to write down some numbers. "This is my boss' car, and he's probably going to kill me." She laughed nervously, reading over the number she had written on his hand without asking.

"Karlie." Stu read out the name that was jotted underneath the number as she let go of his hand.

"Call me and I'll cover the costs." In a flash she was rushing back to her car, grabbing her bag from the roof then speeding away.

Stu mumbled to himself, amazed that his day was proving to be worse than he thought. Inspecting the damage on his car, it wasn't too bad. Thinking it would be worse, he tried to calm down. It wasn't the end of the world, Stu looked down to his hand, reading the name once more, and if Karlie was willing to pay for the damage who was h to complain. After all it was her fault.

Running his hand over the stubble covering his jaw line, he figured he should store Karlie's number in his phone, not wanting to pay for the damage himself. Whilst walking back into the building, he saved her number, but he had been pushed out of his place in the queue. The woman that had been dealing with him was now talking to a woman with a crying baby in her arms. He didn't have time to wait.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I was here first." Stu tried his best to not to sound irritated but he was failing.

"You left." The woman looked over her glasses, a smile not once appearing on her face.

"Some crazy woman crashed into my car." Stu protested, earning dirty looks from both women. "I just want my card and my licence, and I'll be gone." Stu prayed she would agree and let him get on with the rest of his day.

"Fine." The woman picked up Stu's belongings and shoved him into his hand. So much for customer service. He mumbled a thank you, and headed out to his car. Climbing into the driver's seat, he threw down the paper work onto the passenger's side and let out a sigh. Already 3.30pm, he decided to drive straight on down to MacDinton's to see Drew and hopefully Stephen, that was of course unless something else came up.


	2. Say My Name

_**Say My Name**_

MacDinton's was a busy little bar, set in the middle of Courier City. For the three European men, it offered a little slice of home. Mainly in the way of beer, food and sports, but they'd take it none the less. Even with their strict diets, they had moments of indulgence. Often in was in the form of a traditional Irish breakfast, but usually it was a pint of Guinness.

Stu stepped into the bar, scanning the room to find his friends. It wasn't hard, they stood out from the regulars that were drinking the afternoon away or shooting some pool. He smirked as Drew held his hand up, signalling him over to a booth towards the side of the room. Nodding slightly, he wasn't about to go over without a drink.

Eyeing up the service behind the bar, Stu almost came to a stop as he recognised one young woman. An old worn cloth was draped over her shoulder and a black t-shirt had the words MacDintons emblazoned across her chest. Shaking his head in confusion and disbelief, he came to a stop in front of her.

"What can I get for you?" Her chocolate brown hair was pulled up into a ponytail, a few strands brushed her shoulder as she tipped her head to the side slightly. She was waiting for him to answer with one hand firmly resting on her hip.

"Heineken." Stu paused for a moment, wondering if she'd recognise him. "Thank you."

"Coming right up." She sent him a big smile and turned her back. Stu laughed, awful memory and an awful driver. Who would have thought? "Are you laughing at me?"

Stu shook his head as she whipped around, hand grasping the door handle of a fridge housing the selection of bottled beers. "I'm surprised you don't remember me, that's all."

"I'm sorry, I don't know who you are. We get a lot of customers." Stu frowned as she pulled a bottle of beer from the fridge and took the top off. Confused was an understatement. Glancing at his hand and at the name scribbled there, something wasn't adding up.

"Karlie." Stu wasn't asking, he knew it was her. He just didn't know why she'd been driving a flash car, wearing designer clothes and now… this.

"No." She placed the bottle down in front of him.

"Are you kidding me?" Stu couldn't believe it. She was trying to get out of taking the blame for the damage. Fake name and number he guessed. It wouldn't be the first time a woman had taken him for a fool. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

"I think you're rude and a little bit crazy. If you don't want to be banned, then take your damn beer and move along." She wafted her hand through the air as if to get rid of him.

Stu opened his mouth to speak again, but he saw the owner of the bar approaching and snapped it shut again. Billy wasn't a guy to be messed with. Standing just a little bit shorter than Stu, but built a little bit bigger, he had an intimidating presence. An ex-boxer that wouldn't be riled and held Stu's respect. Stu decided to back off for now. Pulling his wallet out of his back pocket, he drew out a ten dollar bill and left it on the counter.

Stu nodded at Billy who raised his eyebrows at him, a small smile slipping to his features. "Keep the change."

Gripping onto the cold bottle, Stu slinked away from the bar. Glancing back, the woman was stood with her arms crossed over her chest, her lips turned into a scowl. Baffled, Stu only knew that she was identical to Karlie in looks but the complete opposite in personality.

"Take yeh time, fella." Stu wasn't at all surprised by Stephens less than friendly welcome. "Get another round in whilst yeh up." Stephen held up his almost empty pint glass, proving he would soon be parched if Stu didn't get him another one soon.

"Get it yourself." Stu shuffled into the booth, avoiding the stare from his friends.

"Somethin' happen wit' the pretty brunette?" Drew nodded towards the bar, making both Stu and Stephen look that way. The woman in question had gone, but Billy still stood there.

"She claims she doesn't recognise me." Stu took a long drink from his beer, satisfied at the taste of the cool liquid.

"Must have been a blow to the ego, eh fella?" Stephen stood up, more than eager to get another pint. After a week and a half of none stop travelling, it was only fair that they have a little fun and relaxation. This was exactly their version of that.

"It's complicated." Stu murmured, wiping some of the condensation on his hand from the bottle onto his dark jeans. He glanced at his hand, seeing the name and number written there. Looking up, he noticed Drew watching his every move. "Save it."

Drew laughed, a deep rumble that he couldn't contain. It wasn't often Stu let someone rile him, especially a woman, but he looked agitated and annoyed. "Ye' tellin' me nothin' happened?"

"She crashed into my car at the DMV."

"Unlucky." Stephen had returned just in time to hear the story. He settled back into the booth with two more pints – one for Drew – and waited for Stu to continue.

"Now she's denying it was her." Stu felt like a right idiot, especially as he could see how humorous the situation appeared to be to his two friends. "Something isn't adding up."

"That her number?" Stephen gestured to the numbers scribbled on his hand. Stu curled his hand into a fist and nodded. "Give the lass a ring."

Stu would rather do that in his own privacy, but sensing they wouldn't let up until he did, he called the number. With his phone pressed firmly against his ear, he trailed his gaze across the bar to where the woman stood conveniently serving another customer.

"Hello, Karlie Matthews." Stu was startled by the voice at the other end of the line. He'd expected a wrong number.

"Karlie?"

"Yes, who is this?" Stu rubbed the back of his neck, trying to stop himself from looking at Stephen and Drew. He watched the woman at the bar, lips curving into a smile as she laughed at something one of the patrons had said.

"Stu Bennett. You crashed into my car earlier."

"Oh wow. You're calling already? You really must be pissed." Stu couldn't help feel a little bit guilty as her nervous laughter floated down the phone.

"I'm not pissed." Stu was quick to reassure, "Maybe we could discuss what happened over drinks, are you free any time in the next few hours?"

A few moments passed before Karlie answered, he sensed her hesitating. "I get off work at five."

"I'll be at MacDinton's. You know where that is?" Reluctantly, Stu looked up at Drew. He and Stephen were making sure they heard every little bit of the conversation from Stu's end.

"Yeah, I've got to go. See you later." Just like that, Karlie hung up on him.

Stuffing his phone back into his pocket, Stu prepared himself for whatever jibes his friends had to give. He draped his arm across the side of the empty booth, took hold of his beer and took one long pull.

"Got yehself a date then fella." Stephen smirked, raising his glass much to Stu's annoyance.

"It's not a date."

"Drinks with a lass, that's a date."

Stu shook his head. It wasn't a date. And now more than ever he was intrigued about the woman he had assumed was Karlie. He'd put two and two together once she'd answered the phone. Karlie had a twin sister and looking back on the situation, he really must have sounded like a crazy man when he'd ranted at her.

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><p><strong>AN – Thank you ResplendentAnarchist, xj0j0x, xFindTheEnigmaWithinx, ThatGirl54 and courtnieduffel for the reviews :) Lou x**


	3. Sister Sister

_**Sister Sister**_

Karlie grunted as she slammed shut the door of her 1998 Ford Taurus. The car was now a dirty grey shell of the sparkling silver it once was, embellished in golden rust here and there. She'd also added her own signature to the vehicle; bumps and scrapes adorned most of the sides. Quickly she locked the piece of junk and headed across the car park towards the entrance of MacDinton's . She'd come straight from work meaning she'd had no time to change from her uncomfortable black knee length pencil skirt, very smart deep red blouse and four inch black pumps.

As soon as Karlie stepped through the door, her gaze landed on her sister stood behind the bar, idly chatting away to a regular.

"Fancy seeing you here, Sasha." Karlie spoke as she approached the bar, however instead of a loving welcome, she received a scowl from her sister. "Have I done something?"

"Why are you here, I'm working." Karlie wanted to argue that she was stood around chatting; hardly working. Instead she decided to just be straight and for once not cause an argument.

"I'm not here to see you, actually." Karlie let a smug smile creep across her face, "I'm here to see a man."

"British? Crooked nose and big ears?"

"Oh my god, how did you know?" Karlie pointed between herself and her sister in a frantic manner, "Is this a twin thing?"

Sasha rolled her eyes and pointed behind Karlie to where the three brute Europeans were seated. Karlie quickly turned to where her sister had pointed and whispered, "Oh."

"He thought I was you. Seemed pretty pissed when I told him I wasn't. Actually, I don't think he believed me."

"I crashed into his car." Karlie grimaced and turned back as Sasha shook her head, not all that surprised. "Buy them a round of drinks on me."

"Want it on your tab?"

"Family discount?" Karlie smiled sweetly and adjusted the black handbag on her arm.

"In your dreams."

Karlie again looked towards the man and said, "Hurry up with those drinks, he doesn't look too happy."

Holding her breath, she sauntered over to the table where the three men were sat. She wasn't sure how he would react, though she did have good news that her boss would pay for the damage. Of course her already slim pay check would be taking a hit this month on top of the firm lecture she'd been given at work.

"Hey." Karlie eventually spoke up, feeling a little intimidated as the conversation stopped and all three men turned to her. She was used to being around strong influential men who thrived in cut throat business – however none of those men looked like the men she was staring at.

"Karlie." She watched, slightly amused, as he looked at her then over to the bar – presumably at her sister.

"That's me, and you are?" Karlie asked, knowing she'd yet to find out his name. She'd been in such a hurry to get back to work after the crash, she'd let it slip her mind.

"Stu."

Yet to introduce her to the other men, Karlie took it upon herself. "Hi I'm Karlie, nice to meet you." Karlie held her hand out to the palest man she'd ever seen. His eyes darkened under the black baseball cap he'd worn, but she could see the creases around them when he flashed her a smile.

"Stephen." Brief and informative - she didn't dare ask him anymore.

Turning to the long haired man next to Stu, she held her hand to him which he gladly took. To her surprise, he leant down and brought her hand to his lips. After a small kiss on the back of her hand he said, "Drew - very nice t' meet ye lass."

Karlie wanted to ask what the three Europeans were doing in Florida, but assumed Stu wanted to talk to her about the damage. "Well then, I'm sorry for crashing into your car. My boss will take care of any damages. That is why you rang me, right?"

"Yeah, sure." Stu nodded and Karlie could tell he was trying to avoid looking at his friends.

"Could you maybe scoot down?" Karlie asked Stephen, eyeing the empty seat in the booth next to him.

"Sure thing lass." He shuffled up towards the end of the booth, now sitting opposite from Drew.

Feeling out of her depth, Karlie sat down and pulled her planner out of her bag. "Maybe we could arrange something, so if you can let me know when you're free." Karlie flicked through her planner but looked up when the table was consumed with silence. "What?" Asking no one in particular, Karlie finally looked at Stu.

"How do I know you're not some crazy fan?" Stu spoke with such seriousness Karlie knew she wasn't joking. The mellowness and deep tone of his voice had her hanging off his every word though.

Unsure of what he meant she glanced towards Drew and Stephen for some help. Poker faces. With no help from them she asked, "Fan? Fan of what?"

"Here you are." Sasha's chipper voice stopped Stu from answering. With a tray of drinks in her hand she started setting down each beverage.

"We didn't order these."

"I did." Karlie smiled, "You didn't look too happy when I came in so think of it as a peace offering."

"What kind o' gentlemen would we be if we let ye buy us drinks?" Drew smirked then winked at Sasha who rolled her eyes and left the table.

"Anyway, we're wrestlers and we get a lot of over the top fans." Stu was straight back to business.

"Oh." Karlie smiled, this new bit of information not changing the situation one bit.

"I'm not sure when I'll be free." That changed things a bit, and suddenly Karlie felt pissed off. Surely he could have told her that on the phone instead of bringing her here.

"You couldn't have told me that on the phone?" With a sigh Karlie said, "Just remember that you called me Stu. You better get in touch with me when you actually have time, unless you want to pay for the damage yourself. My boss would just love that."

Pulling a business card out of the back of her planner, Karlie slid it across the table and left it in front of the Englishman. Standing up from the table, she uttered a quick goodbye to all three men and started towards the front of the bar. Sasha wasn't around so she assumed she was at the back; she'd speak to her sister another day.

Eyeing her car, Karlie remember just how much she hated it. Perhaps that was why she'd gotten a little too excited when her boss had asked her to take his car out.

"Karlie!" There was no mistaking the voice that boomed from behind her so she stopped just beside her car and turned to see Stu taking long strides towards her.

Looking around the car park a little bit bewildered Stu said, "Where's your car?"

She watched as Stu glanced around the parking lot for the second time, obviously not putting two and two together.

"I'm standing by it." Unlocking the driver's side and pulling the door open with more effort than necessary; Karlie chucked her handbag onto the passenger seat.

"You're kidding me." A bemused chuckle left his lips and Karlie could only frown.

"Way to make a woman feel good. I know it's a piece of junk."

"I didn't say that."

"Right." More than ready to climb into her car and speed off home to her tiny one bedroom apartment, she raised an eyebrow to try and hurry him up.

"I wanted to apologise." Stu rubbed his jaw for a moment, looking like he was thinking, "I thought your sister was you and you were trying to get out of what you did."

"So you called me?" Karlie asked, "To make sure I wasn't lying?"

"Sounds stupid now," Again Stu laughed, now a hint of nervousness behind it, "You look so alike."

"We're twins." Karlie stated the obvious then changed the subject, not wanting to waste any more of his time like he'd done with her, "Just call me when you get a chance."

Getting into her car, Karlie tried to pull the door shut but Stu was quickly there with one of his big hands holding the door back. "I have a few hours free tomorrow morning, know of any good body shops?"

"Does my car look like it's seen a body shop?" Karlie grinned and Stu laughed. Maybe he wasn't so grumpy after all, "Just let me know when and where, I'll sort the finances out."

Stu nodded and stepped away from her car, "Have a good evening."

Sitting in her car for a few moments, Karlie watched him in her mirror as he retreated back into the building. She wasn't sure what she'd expected to happen when he'd called her up, but this certainly wasn't it. Slipping the key into the ignition and starting the car, Karlie slipped it into reverse and cringed as the vehicle creaked when she backed it out. One day she'd be able to afford her own flash car, and possibly not crash it. But for now she'd settle with the old beat up ford and the handsome stranger she'd crashed into. Maybe she'd investigate into this wrestling business Stu spoke of; then they'd have something to chat about in the morning.

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><p><strong>AN – Thank you ResplendentAnarchist, xj0j0x, ThatGirl54, thatkatie and Lou221B for the lovely reviews :) Lou x**


	4. Remember Me?

_**Remember Me?**_

There was no denying that Stephen and Drew had been put on earth to make his life hell, but Stu had learnt long ago that the only way to shut them up was to ignore them. He'd tried that. Yet their constant jibes about his twin confusion the previous night at MacDintons hadn't stopped. The drinks hadn't stopped either - that would account for his killer headache and sour mood.

Now all he remembered was waking up to an angry voicemail from Karlie who was waiting at the car body shop for him - apparently when he was drunk he also made appointments with women he barely knew. However, even with the irate tone Karlie had used in her message, she still didn't seem all that mad.

A couple of aspirin later and his headache had dwindled - that didn't make him feel any better though. No. His head was elsewhere and even if he tried to shift his thoughts they'd slam right back to the two woman he'd had the pleasure of meeting the night before. He'd met them and made a fool out of himself. At least his friends had a good laugh.

Stu couldn't imagine Karlie giving him an earful or a lecture about being late, but as he drove through Old West Tampa and toward 'Carsmetics' body shop he felt his nerves bubble up.

He didn't do nervous. He did adrenaline racing, blood pounding excitement before his matches - but he wouldn't label that anything to do with nerves.

As Carsmetics came into view, there was no missing Karlie leant against the flash Ferrari that she'd crashed into him with. Quite a contrast the banged up Ford he'd seen her with. She looked good with a flash car - it suited her sleek style and polished looks. He was still unsure of what to expect from her; he'd seen her ditzy, organised and truly pissed off. Maybe he'd get something in-between - perhaps something a little calm that wouldn't put him on edge. He didn't need another headache.

Pulling his car to the front of the body shop, he kept his face hidden under sunglasses and a baseball cap but did send Karlie a quick wave. She didn't wave back. In fact she didn't acknowledge him at all. Arms crossed over her chest and lips pursed, she looked just as he'd imagined when she'd left the voicemail. Angry and uptight. Kind of like her sister. As he hopped out of the car and walked closer to the brunette, his fears were realised. He'd seen that pissed off look before, but not on Karlie's face. That was the expression Sasha had thrown his way at the bar. He didn't like it one bit and even though he'd thought he'd learnt from his mistake, he couldn't help but wonder if that actually was the right twin.

"Karlie?" The scepticism in Stu's voice was more evident than he would have liked

"Want me to wear a name tag?"

Under his breath he murmured, "Can't be too careful."

"Nice of you to show up, I didn't think you were coming at all."

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"It's not me you should be apologising to." As if someone had flicked a switch in Karlie's head, she smiled sweetly at him and changed her tone. "Did you have a good time with your friends?"

"The down time was nice."

"It's great at MacDintons. Such a friendly atmosphere despite my sister working there."

"She isn't friendly?"

"She can be a little intense."

"Karlie!" Startled by such a loud voice, and still feeling a little unsettled, Stu whipped around to see a large man in a suit heading towards them. With no clue who he was or how he knew Karlie, he braced himself for a fight, hand curled into fists with eager preparedness. "Is this Mr. Bennett?"

Stu looked back to Karlie whose eyes were wide with shock. At him or the brute man she wasn't quite sure. Or perhaps he was the brute man. He relaxed his hands and tried to return to his normal stance. Karlie blinked a few times before nodding and declaring, "Yes."

"Harry Linderman." Stu turned back to the man now stood only a foot away from him. "Oh dear." Harry pointed one fat stubby finger towards Stu's car and let out a hearty chuckle, followed by a chesty cough. Stu was sure the man was about to collapse - he must have only been 5'11" with a big, round belly to go with his stature much smaller than Stu's.

"Female drivers, eh? Let's get this fixed." Usually Stu would laugh and join in with the banter, but he didn't like the thought of laughing at Karlie's sake, even if she did crash into his car. Stu hadn't even uttered a word and the man was already ushering him towards the entrance of the body shop. "I apologise on behalf of my assistant, she isn't all there sometimes."

"It's no problem Mr. Linderman-" Always be polite, one of the many manners his mother had instilled in him, however the urge to tell him to shut his fat mouth of shove some food in there remained strong.

"Please, call me Harry." Another chuckle escaped the rotund man as he shuffled along beside Stu, trying to keep up with his long paces. "Unfortunately I have business to take care of today, but Karlie will sort everything out."

Now a little confused as to why Harry was even there, Stu only nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets, fumbling with the keys and bits of change he found in there. He sensed something was up after a minute of lingering silence. "I wasn't sure what Karlie told me was true."

Stopping in his tracks, Stu looked down at the old man. "What exactly has she told you?"

"You're a pro-wrestler!" Harry exclaimed with gusto. "My son's a huge fan."

Stu knew exactly where this was going, and seeing as though this interesting gentleman was being so accommodating, Stu didn't see the harm in playing into his hand. "How about I send you some signed stuff? I'm sure he'd like that."

"Excellent!" Harry seemed satisfied as he turned around to summon Karlie over. Like she'd been trained to full obedience, she hurried over, notepad and pen in hand. "I've settled things with Bill. Keep Mr. Bennett here happy, he might want to do business with us one day."

Business? Stu wasn't sure what business Harry Linderman had to offer, but he sure as hell didn't want any part of it. With that, Harry waddled off, not before warning Karlie to take care of his car.

"You enjoy working for that goon?" Stu said as soon as Harry was out of earshot. Karlie didn't look offended, in fact, a smile crept across her face. He let his gaze dip down to her chest for just a moment before skimming down the rest of her body. She was in similar attire to the day before, looking like some kind of pin-up secretary. Her eyes narrowed and she tilted her head up to look at him. The morning sun poured over them, making Karlie's hair shimmer as she moved on the spot.

"It's better than no job at all. Haven't you ever worked a horrible job because you needed the money that bad?" He supposed he had.

Instead of answering with a simple yes Stu said, "You don't want to know half the stuff I've done to make money."

Was he really trying to impress her? He'd wish he'd kept his mouth shut.

"That sounds intriguing… maybe I do want to know." There was a teasing glimmer behind her eyes as she shoved her notepad and pen back into her purse. "There's a diner just down the road, we could get a coffee whilst we wait?"

A coffee sounded good. So did a plate piled high with food. That would surely cure the remainder of his hangover. Stephen and Drew would have field day if they found out about this. After so many years of travelling the world together, teasing each other was one way of making the time pass; now it was just a habit. Feeling like no harm would be done, Stu agreed. One coffee never hurt anyone.

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><p><em>AN – Thank you charmedbyortonbarrett, prettybaby69, thatkatie, xj0j0x, ThatGirl54, ResplendentAnarchist and xFindTheEnigmaWithinx for the lovely reviews. Lou :) x_


	5. Bad Luck

_**Bad Luck**_

Peering over the top of her menu, Karlie took another moment to take in Stu's appearance. His face looked like it been battered around; his crooked nose and dark circles under his eyes made him look like he'd just gone twelve rounds. Maybe he had - he appeared to be in a foul mood still.

"So..." Karlie set down the menu and sent a warm smile Stu's way.

"What do you do?" Stu asked with no qualms.

"Excuse me?"

"Your job, that Harry bloke seems like a right joke." He sneered and rested his elbows on the edge of the table. They'd been seated in a little booth next to the window - glossy red leather seats and shiny silver tables filled the room. Your typical diner.

"He can be a bit brass at times." Karlie played with the edge of the menu, an attempt to keep her gaze off Stu. She hated the way he was looking at her; interrogating and accusatory. "I work in insurance."

"You're shitting me!" Stu exclaimed then laughed loudly. People in the room turned all their attention on them.

A swift kick to Stu's shin made him shut up and eventually the other diners returned to their food. "What is so funny about that?"

"It's just ironic, you know, crashing into my car and all." Stu started skimming over the menu again.

"This is just a job whilst I find something more suitable."

"And what do you deem suitable?"

Karlie figured she might as well be shoved in a tiny room and sat under a bright spotlight with all the interrogating Stu was doing. She didn't need to explain herself to him. He was practically still a stranger. She didn't even explain her actions to her sister or her parents. She was a grown woman for christ sake.

Plastering a smile on her face, Karlie said, "Have you decided what you'd like?"

"Bacon, eggs and lots of coffee."

"Rough night?"

"You could say that." Stu grinned and Karlie slipped out of the booth. She had mixed feelings about Stu, but after she crashed into his car, he could have been acting a lot worse.

Once she'd ordered Stu's food, she ordered a pot of coffee for them to share. No way would she get through one on her own - Stu maybe could, but she only wanted a little bit. As she finally settled back into the booth, Stu was just ending a phone call. Deciding to not be nosy for a change she just smiled and said, "Shouldn't be too long."

"Excellent. I take it Harry is paying for this?" Stu laid his palms flat on the table, his sheer size taking up most of the space on the opposite side of the booth.

"If he doesn't take it out of my pay cheque, then he should." She was half joking, she had no idea if he would or not.

Stu frowned and shook his head, "If that's the case then this is on me."

Without thinking Karlie reached across the table and gently touched Stu's hand. "That's unnecessary but thank you. Harry told me to make you happy, so that's what I intend to do."

Stu's eyebrows raised and an impish smile settled on his face. Karlie then realised the implications of what she'd just said. "Is that right?"

"No no no, that isn't what I meant." Karlie felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. She didn't dish out sexual favours to clients - the thought was ludicrous. The reason Harry took her with him when he went to meet important clients was because she was 'sweet on the eyes'. His words, not hers.

"Relax, I know what you meant." Karlie looked at her hand still resting on Stu's. Slowly she moved it away and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She still wanted the ground to open up and swallow her.

Finally the food and drinks arrived and as Stu started to devour a mountain of food, Karlie only sat there and sipped on the coffee. She would ask questions about his job and he would answer with only a few words. Privacy was obviously a big part of his life. She sensed he wouldn't let many people into his life, not easily anyway.

She learnt about his small family back in England though he wouldn't let up any names. Then he mentioned that he travelled around Europe with no hint of what he actually did there. Then he ended his incredibly short life story on his current career as a wrestler.

Getting the hint that he didn't want to share any more about himself, Karlie didn't ask any more questions. Instead she took out her phone and called the Carsmetics shop to check up on the car.

After a quick chat to Bill, Karlie finally hung up and watched Stu finish the last of his coffee. "Your car is almost ready."

"That was quick." Wiping the back of his hand across his mouth, Stu let out a satisfied sigh.

Karlie wouldn't be surprised if Stu never stopped eating. He was solid muscle. Tall, broad shoulders, wide chest and impressively big thighs that filled out his jeans; quite frankly she'd never seen anyone like him before.

Karlie realised she was staring at Stu's chest so quickly replied, "We have a lot of business with them."

Stu didn't seem to notice her lingering stare. "With your driving I bet you do."

"Very funny." Karlie actually smiled and followed Stu out of the booth.

The short walk back to the body shop only took five minutes, and once they were back on the lot Stu's car was sat looking impeccably shiny and brand new. Karlie was just pleased this whole thing would be over with, though she wouldn't be surprised if this string of bad luck didn't continue. Two days ago her shower broke, meaning she had to swing by her sisters apartment every day to use hers. She was also pretty sure her car would die on her any day now. It was only a matter of time before the piece of junk gave up.

Even though Stu's car was back to its original condition, Harry's car was nowhere to be seen. She'd made a deal that morning to drive it back - Harry should have left with one of the firm's partners. "Bill, where's Harry's car?"

"He had to leave, said something about an emergency meeting."

"You're kidding me."

"Sorry, honey." Bill held out some paperwork for her and then threw Stu's keys to him. Karlie took the paperwork and let out a frustrated sigh. Bill was already across the lot ready to deal with another customer.

"That's fine, I'll just walk back into town." She knew she was talking to herself but she was angry. Of course Harry never thought of anyone but himself, he was a selfish boss. Though he hadn't yet reprimanded her so she couldn't be too annoyed.

"Get in, I'm heading into town anyway." Karlie turned around to see Stu inspecting his car, looking pleased with the work the body shop had done.

"Are you sure?" Feeling like she was imposing, Karlie stood back a little bit.

"No need to be worried, I'm a great driver." Stu winked her way and started taking long strides around to the drivers side, "I'm supposed to drive on the right hand side, yeah?"

Karlie couldn't stop a smile stretching across her face, even though he was making fun of her she enjoyed his company. A swift change from her mood that morning and a minute ago. Deciding a car ride with Stu would be far better than walking back to work, she eagerly climbed into the passenger seat. A big car for a big man she thought.

"Thanks Stu, I mean normally Harry wouldn't do something like this." The car was much nicer than hers though that didn't take much achieving.

"Why don't I believe you?" Karlie glanced across to Stu who kept his gaze on the road. His sunglasses were back on his face as the sun was almost blindingly bright.

"Okay maybe he does - sometimes."

"He's an arse." Karlie grinned, delightfully amused at his version of saying ass. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing." They were already nearing busy downtown Tampa, the streets and sidewalks were much busier. Saying that, Stu was driving like he'd lived in America all of his life.

"No come on, you're in my car so it's my rules."

"Oh is that how it works?" Karlie shook her head and looked out of the window as she uttered, "I like your accent."

With a brave deep breath, Karlie turned back to look at Stu who had a smile of his face. She expected some witty or sarcastic response. Instead he reached over and squeezed her thigh lightly before saying, "Thank you."

Feeling comfortable with Stu, Karlie settled a little. She scrambled her brain for something to ask him. If he didn't want to talk about family and work, maybe there was something else. An adorable little dog running up the sidewalk caught her attention for a moment, that was until its path started heading for the main road.

"Stu, watch out for that dog." Karlie gripped onto Stu's bicep and her heart leapt to her throat.

Stu slammed on the brakes, throwing Karlie forward but the seatbelt snapped shut and held her back. He cursed and the car swerved, hitting the car next to them that had also swerved to miss the dog. People honked their horns and tyres screeched as the little dog made it across to the other side, leaving a number of cars motionless in the middle of the road. Eyes wide with shock, Karlie finally took a breath but still had a death grip on Stu's arm. Did she really have that much bad luck that it now rubbed off on other people?

"Karlie." Stu had slipped off his seatbelt and turned the car engine off. "Are you okay?"

Stu slid his big hand to her jaw, making him look at her so he would know she hadn't been harmed. Concern was etched on his face so Karlie nodded. Her heart was still beating fast against her chest, partly in shock; the rest was a reaction to Stu's touch. She hadn't expected that at all.

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><p><strong>AN – Thank you ThatGirl54, prettybaby69, xj0j0x, charmedbyortonbarrett and xFindTheEnigmaWithinx for the lovely reviews :) Lou x**


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